November 2025

Patrick's sophomore dance was at the beginning of November. He wore the new suit he got for his birthday.

Jim did the Skippo Trail Race Half Marathon and came in 3rd in his age group!

I stayed after school for a soccer game and there was a beautiful sunset.

Jim played with Above Ground Pool at a corporate event.

Jim's birthday was pretty low key this year.  He and I stopped by the newly opened Perennial on the Trail.

Maggie cantored at 5 pm Mass.

After Mass, we watched the ND vs. Navy game with friends.

Jim was invited to speak to the medical careers club at SLUH. 

The annual Halloween game between parents and kids for Maggie's soccer game was rescheduled due to weather. The girls wore their costumes.

These friends walked in Forest Park with me on my break.

We tried a new place for brunch before our annual shopping trip.

We finished our shopping with some Mexican food for dinner.

Another volleyball season in the books. I think the girls had fun.

I joined some faculty for a rainy playoff soccer game.

SLUH won!  They won the state championship the next night.

We went to Pere Marquette for our annual glamping weekend.

This group hiked to this view above the river.

The kids headed back to the lodge while the adults hiked a little more.

The crew at the lodge. It was the first year we didn't have Jack.

We explored the area and did the Grafton SkyTour.

Some did not appreciate the heights as much as others.

These girls had a good time together.

These boys rode continuously. 

Patrick, Charlie, and Evan missed out on the picture at the top because they were still riding on the chair lift.

A game of spoons in the evening:

We didn't do matching pjs this year, but got a picture of the kids in their Christmas pjs by the fire.

One more game of chess before we leave.

Jim was able to go to the all school mass where they honored Maggie and the other new servers.

Jim and Patrick ran the Turkey Trot this year.

Some of my running friends and I ran our own turkey trot. We made sure to get a picture by the finish line.

I took some pictures of Jack and Lauren for their Christmas card.

We hosted our annual After the Turkey party. We moved it to Friday this year so Patrick and Ingrid could make it. Here is my mom with most of her siblings.

Cousins!

It's a good thing we moved the party to Friday. This is what Saturday looked like.

The end of November brought the beginning of Advent.  I enjoyed the annual Advent by Candlelight with friends.

October 2025

I would often send my cousin selfies wishing her good luck on mornings she had her infusions, often while wearing something green.  Maggie would gladly accompany me in the selfie. 

Kelly's Heroes played at the Webster Groves Porchfest.

We celebrated this sweet girl's 8th birthday. 

Maggie left for 6th grade camp.  I got a selfie with her before she left for 3 days.

Jim was able to go to camp one day.  He explored a cave with some of the 6th graders.

They all got very wet.

Patrick continued his cross country season at the conference meet.

It was a little chilly, but we celebrated Andrea's birthday on Emily's cozy patio.

This is the only picture I took at our block party this year.  These kids had fun with each other.

We love our Kelly's Heroes hats!

I went to Forest Park with Michael and Kathleen to take their family pictures.

Jim and I had dinner at the Lemp Mansion.  No ghosts were seen.  I also did not see any ghosts when I went back the next day to get our credit card.

I had a day off for fall break and it coincided with the 8th grade rosary. They did a beautiful job!

Maggie's Girl Scout Troop "crossed the bridge."

Connie came in town.  Patrick had a cross country meet that Saturday. It was the Hancock Invitational, a race Connie and I did in high school.  They had an open race before the others, so Connie and I ran that.  

When Patrick started his race, the sky was clear.  By the end, it was a torrential downpour.

I enjoyed coaching Maggie's volleyball team again.

The forecast called for lots of rain on the day of the Jambecue.  They were able to rent an indoor space at the last minute and it was great!

I got up to sing a song with Jim.

Happy 16th birthday, Patrick!

We were happy to celebrate Patrick's birthday while Jack was in town for his fall break.

We have another driver!

Jim and I were planning to go to a cousins' weekend with his cousins in Texas.  Unfortunately, some storms canceled our flight on Friday.  We rebooked for Saturday morning.  While we were bummed to miss part of our trip, we were able to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday Friday night!

We made it to New Braunfels!

Jim's cousin hosted us for a party with live music on Saturday night.

Paul, Jim, and Karen borrowed some equipment from the band and played some music for us.

On Sunday, we visited Gruene Hall (pronounced Green Hall). It is the oldest dance hall in Texas.

We finished October with Halloween.  The math department dressed up as digits of pi and arranged ourselves in order of seniority. 

Maggie was Stitch and trick-or-treated with friends.

Charlie trick-or-treated with this crew.